Enrollment
446
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 483702005584
Merriman Park El — Dallas, TX
Federal NCES profile for Merriman Park El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 50/100.
👥 Class size 48
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 11
📋 Attendance 73
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Richardson Isd · Texas
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13:1
vs 14.6:1 Texas avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.4%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-46% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Merriman Park El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Merriman Park El reports 446 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 40.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 11% below the Texas state mean of 14.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 18% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 33.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 46% below the Texas average and 36% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 446 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 11.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Richardson Isd spends $16,946 per pupil district-wide, below the Texas average of $17,150 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 69.7% from local sources (property taxes), 15.3% from the state, and 15.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (C-), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Merriman Park El compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Texas state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13:1 | ▼ 11% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.4% | ▼ 46% | 61.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 446 | top 42% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
33.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 46% below the Texas average of 61.9%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
13:1
students per teacher
— 11% below state mean
Top 28% in Texas — lower ratio than 72% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
11.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$16,946
per pupil, district-wide
— below Texas avg of $17,150
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 446 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
17
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 446 Top 42% in Texas — larger than 58% of 9,061 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 40.0
Students per teacher 13:1 -11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 33.4% -46% vs state
NCES ID 483702005584
Student demographics
White 53.6%
African American 24.7%
Hispanic or Latino 15.9%
Asian 3.6%
Two or More 1.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 53.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 446:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 11.0%
In-school suspensions 17
Out-of-school suspensions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Richardson Isd, which includes Merriman Park El.
$16,946
Per student
-1%
vs Texas
Avg $17,150
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 69.7%
State 15.3%
Federal 15.0%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,972
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Enrollment
- 2,669
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Enrollment
- 2,350
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Enrollment
- 2,317
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,211
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
Similar other schools in Dallas
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Oak Cliff Faith Family Academy
Alternative education program
2,670 students 22.1:1 students per teacher
Trinity Basin Preparatory
Standard public school
1,873 students 13.9:1 students per teacher
Life School Oak Cliff
Standard public school
1,483 students 14.9:1 students per teacher
Prek Partnership Center
Standard public school
1,295 students 12.5:1 students per teacher
Anne Frank El
Standard public school
1,119 students 16.5:1 students per teacher
Harmony Science Academy - Dallas
Standard public school
1,110 students 15:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Merriman Park El
How many students attend Merriman Park El?
Merriman Park El has 446 students enrolled. It is a other school in DALLAS, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Merriman Park El?
The student-teacher ratio at Merriman Park El is 13:1, which is 11% lower than the Texas average of 14.6:1 and 18% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Merriman Park El?
33.4% of students at Merriman Park El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Merriman Park El?
The largest demographic group at Merriman Park El is White at 53.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in DALLAS, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Merriman Park El?
Merriman Park El has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (C-) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.